BRATTLEBORO — The Vermont Jazz Center will begin its 10-week long semester of spring/winter educational programs. Most classes will begin the week of Feb. 8.
Sessions are 10 weeks long (except for Youth Jazz which is 8 weeks). Starting dates are listed below. Fees are $250 for 10 week semesters, except for Latin Jazz which is $200 and Youth Jazz which is $100. Call for scholarship/work study options.
The semester will culminate in a concert with a short set performed by each of the groups on Thursday, April 28, at 7 p.m.
Mondays
• 5:15 to 6:45 p.m., Blue Note Ensemble with Scott Mullett, instructor. This ensemble will focus on the repertoire from landmark Blue Note recordings of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Mullett states that this era represents for him, “the heartbeat of American jazz.”
The repertoire performed by this ensemble will include jazz standards and originals recorded by the bands of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Cannonball Adderley, Horace Silver, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley and Wayne Shorter.
• 7 to 9 p.m., Valley Rock Choir with Tony Lechner, instructor. Lechner, has been conducting choirs in the Northampton, Mass., region for more than a decade under the auspices of Valley Jazz Choirs. He uses the VJC to rehearse his rock choir on Monday evenings at 7 p.m.
Contact Lechner directly for starting date and fee information at tony@valleychoirs.com.
Tuesdays
• 3:45 to 5 p.m., Youth Jazz Ensemble with Eugene Uman, instructor. For youth ages 10 to 16 who are interested in adding improvisation to their musical toolbox.
This ensemble will use simple tunes written by jazz masters Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Cannonball Adderley and others as vehicles for taking off. The tunes we will start with are simple melodies that encourage participants to want to delve deeper into the jazz repertoire.
Wednesdays
• 4:15 to 5:45 p.m., Latin Jazz Ensemble with Julian Gerstin and Eugene Uman, instructors. For musicians who wish to learn and play jazz influenced by rhythms of Latin America.
Emphasized styles include salsa, son, rumba, danzon, bolero and cha cha chá from Cuba (and Puerto Rico); cumbia, bambucco and porro from Colombia; bossa, samba, partido alto and samba reggae from Brazil.
• 8 to 10 p.m., VJC Wednesday night jam sessions. All are invited to attend this weekly jam session, and all levels and all instruments are invited. A $3 donation is suggested for listeners and players. A supportive environment prevails in order to encourage musicians who can, at a minimum, play through a melody.
Most musicians also use the opportunity to explore their improvising “chops.” Sessions are attended by a myriad of musicians from diverse backgrounds. High school and college students are especially urged to attend. This open jam at the Vermont Jazz Center has been taking place since 1997 and is a means for young and old to hone their skills together.
Thursdays
• 5:45 to 7:30 p.m., Women's Jazz Harmony Vocal Ensemble with Anna Patton, instructor. Patton will lead a women's vocal ensemble that will sing arrangements of songs from the swing era as well as contemporary pieces in the jazz idiom.
The ensemble will work on blend and precision in close harmonies in the style of groups like the Andrews Sisters and Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, and will also spend some time working on aural skills and playing with chord progressions.
Recommended for singers who read music and/or have quick ears. The group is not auditioned, but does take on some challenging material.